Beauty mogul Margaret de Heinrich de Omorovicza on Murano glass, thermal baths and sparkly jumpsuits

My personal style signifier is a chunky gold charm bracelet my mother gave me. It includes a QE2 charm from her honeymoon and a Coca-Cola bottle that my father bought her as a joke because she always used to drink it. People hear it jangling before I come into the room, which can be a disadvantage when Stephen – my husband and business partner – and I come home late as our children want to come down to chat when they should be in bed. 

The last thing I bought and loved was the most gorgeous breadbasket I have ever seen and that I got at Cabana, in Capri. It’s raffia in a simple filigree design and makes me happy every time I use it. From €60; 1 Via Fuorlovado, 80073 Capri (cabanagloballuxe.com)

And the thing I’m eyeing next is an imperfect yet beautiful clay pot by Atelier Vierkant to plant a Japanese maple tree in. I never saw myself getting into gardening, but then I never saw myself becoming a diplomat, nor starting a cosmetics company. Gardening is a great lesson in patience and I like a challenge. EM series from €792; ateliervierkant.com

An unforgettable place I’ve travelled to in the past year is Mount Desert Island in Maine. We rented a house called Connor Cove Cottage, swam in the lake, sailed and hiked. We rode bicycles over to Jordan Pond House, a restaurant in Acadia National Park, and ate delicious popovers – similar to Yorkshire pudding – served with strawberry jam and butter and blueberry lemonade. Connor Cove Cottage, Connor Point Lane, Southwest Harbor, Fernald Point, Maine, ME 04679 (knowlesco.com). Jordan Pond House, 2928 Park Loop Rd, Seal Harbor, Maine, ME 04675 (jordanpondhouse.com)

The best gift I’ve received recently is a beautiful pair of earrings by René Boivin from Stephen for my birthday. They have diamond-set, scale-like shapes and are super-sparkly. I admire this jewellery house as it was one of the first to employ women as designers. See Fred Leighton, 773 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10065 (fredleighton.com)

The last item of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a slinky black sequin Galaxy jumpsuit by Galvan. It’s structured, forgiving, fun and glamorous. £1,195, galvanlondon.com

The one artist whose work I would collect if I could is Lyonel Feininger. We’ve started buying little sketches – but to buy a painting we’ll have to sell a lot of face cream. 

My favourite room in my house is the kitchen, where I do most of my entertaining – it has a long table that was left in the garden by the previous owners, with a comfy banquette. It’s south-facing, so we get wonderful light, and when we renovated it recently we chose a fun, vivid-blue kitchen from Plain English called Scullery Latch. Kitchens from £54,000, plainenglishdesign.co.uk

The beauty staple I’m never without is Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist, which I always keep with me. It is a neroli and rose-scented face mist that was inspired by the world’s first recorded perfume. Legend has it the queen was so beautiful that she was proposed to by a man half her age – the original cougar! I’m also a huge fan of lipstick – my current favourite is Tom Ford’s Casablanca, a dusky pink. And I have been using Annick Goutal’s Heure Exquise scent for as long as I can remember. Annick Goutal Heure Exquise, €150 for 100ml EDP, goutalparis.com. Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist, £50, omorovicza.com. Tom Ford Casablanca Lip Colour, £40, tomford.co.uk

My favourite websites and apps are Food52.com for recipe ideas; Axios.com for news – it’s mainly US-focused but it does have an increasingly international sweep. And an app called 7 Minute Workout, which I use every day; I really believe that small things done regularly work.

My style icon is my mother, who is an elegant woman with great flair and style. I remember her showing up at a school play wearing light camel-colour slacks, a matching cashmere turtleneck and a wide, dark-brown suede Christian Dior belt with a gorgeous gold buckle – I still wear the belt today. 

The best souvenir I’ve brought home is a Murano-glass lantern that I spotted on a table at the Il San Pietro hotel in Positano. It had been such a wonderful evening that I begged the waiter to sell it to me. Americans dare to ask; Brits are too polite. Via Laurito 2, 84017 Positano (ilsanpietro.it)

The best book I’ve read in the past year is Hillbilly Elegy: Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by JD Vance, who grew up in a very poor family originally from the Appalachians – missing teeth, gun-on-the-front-porch kind of thing. It’s uplifting, interesting and funny. He worked hard and, after Marine Corps, went to Yale Law School; I have no doubt Vance will become a senator one day, if not president. 

A recent “find” was the Anne Autegarden gallery in Brussels, late last year. I loved the timeless pieces with a modern feel, such as a gold and black lacquer lamp that caught my eye. 102 Ave Marquis de Villalobar, 1150 Brussels (autegarden.com)

The last meal that truly impressed me was in the summer at Conca del Sogno on the Amalfi Coast, a place you can only access by boat. As we were pulling up, we saw one of the waiters emerging from the water in full scuba gear with seafood he had just caught, which elicited squeals of delight from our children. We drank white wine mixed with fresh peaches and the ricotta spinach pasta with fresh tomato sauce was the best I’d ever had. Via Amerigo Vespucci 25, 80061 Massa Lubrense (concadelsogno.it)

The best gift I’ve given recently was a trip to Japan that Stephen and I gave our eldest daughter, Gabriella, as a reward for working very hard at her school entrance exams.

The last music I downloaded was Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane’s My One and Only Love. I heard it playing at my mother’s restaurant in Florida – I was in the middle of a conversation, but the dreamy sound of the saxophone caught my attention.

In my fridge you’ll always find chicken broth, which I make; seasonal fruit and vegetables from Michanicou Bros; 2011 Berry Bros & Rudd Tokaji Aszú, 5 Puttonyos, by Oremus; and the rather odd Túró Rudi, which is Hungary’s most popular dessert for kids. I think it’s disgusting – like cottage cheese covered in chocolate – but my kids love it. Berry Bros & Rudd, 3 St James’s St, London SW1 (bbr.com).Michanicou Bros, 2 Clarendon Rd, London W11 (020-7727 5191).

An indulgence I would never forgo is reflexology by Billie Jean at Reflexions in Chelsea. Some people hate the idea of people touching their feet, but I love it and can feel the impact all over my body. £57 for 60 mins; 250 King’s Rd, London SW3 (reflex-shop.com)

If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city, I’d choose the 1st arrondissement of Paris. I go to Gianvito Rossi for shoes that are both glamorous and comfortable – not a common combination. I love wandering around the Palais Royal; I will stop in for a pair of leather gloves at Maison Fabre, which I am never without once the weather turns. And Serge Lutens is not just a fragrance man – at his store, I recently bought a soft violet lip stain in the chicest little bullet you have ever seen. De Profundis Water Lip Colour, €65; Serge Lutens, 142 Galerie de Valois, 75001 (sergelutens.com). Gianvito Rossi, 40 Rue du Mont Thabor, 75001 (gianvitorossi.com). Maison Fabre, 128-129 Galerie de Valois, 75001 (maisonfabre.com)

An object I would never part with is my father’s engraved silver pitcher. He was a 50-year-old bachelor by the time he married my considerably younger mother and was such a wonderful, charming gent that he had over 20 groomsmen at the wedding. To mark the occasion, they gave him this pitcher engraved with their signatures. I use it almost every day. 

The people I rely on for personal grooming and wellbeing are Tony Culver at Salon Sloane for my colour, who I have been going to for ever; and my osteopath Kristian Wood – I don’t know what he does, but I have seen so many over the years and whatever it is, it works. Kristian Wood, 221 Westbourne Park Rd, London W11 (kjw-osteopathy.co.uk). Salon Sloane, 186 Pavilion Rd, London SW3 (salonsloane.com).

If I didn’t live in London, the city I would live in is Budapest. I love its exotic flavour. It’s a huge movie-making destination and  boutique hotel Brody House, is a social and cultural hub where actors and crew hang out alongside local artists, creating quite a glam, casual vibe. Menza is my favourite spot for lunch – I always order the daily special and it never disappoints, though for the best goulash in town, I go to Café Kör. A trip to Budapest would not be complete without a visit to the thermal baths and my favourite is the Gellert, with its gorgeous Zsolnay tiles along the floors and walls. I always leave feeling transformed. Brody House, Bródy Sándor utca 10, 1088 Budapest (brody.land). Café Kör, Sas utca 17, 1051 (+361-311 0053). Gellert Spa and Thermal Baths, Kelenhegyi út 4, 1118 (gellertspa.com). Menza, Liszt Ferenc tér 2, 1061 (menzaetterem.hu). 

If I weren’t doing what I do, I would be involved in the world of politics and education.